PATHANAMTHITTA: A Central team of experts will be visiting the chikungunya-affected areas of the State, especially the hilly tracts of Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts, in the next two days to assess the situation there, according to an official statement by the Health Department here on Thursday.

It said that Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy called upon Union Minister for Health Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday and apprised him of the situation in the affected areas. The Union Minister promised all possible assistance to the State in viral fever prevention and control drive in the affected areas.

Meanwhile, the number of dengue fever cases in Pathanamthitta district went up to two with the confirmation of one more case in the serum test conducted at the Virology Institute in Alappuzha on Thursday. Similarly, the number of chikungunya cases too shot up to 40 with 11 more serum samples testing positive on Thursday, according to Health Department sources here.

A State team, comprising private secretary to Health Minister A.C. Mathew and Director of Health Services T.K. Kuttumony, visited Pathanamthitta General Hospital and the Government healthcare centres in the affected areas of Chittar, Ranni-Perinad and Vadaserikkara in Pathanamthitta district and Mundakkayam and Kanjirappally in Kottayam district on Thursday.

The DHS said that more vector-control measures and disease prevention steps would be initiated in the affected districts on a war footing. He said an additional fogging machine would be brought from Alappuzha to Pathanamthitta on Friday and more mosquito nets would be supplied to the patients.

Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy visited the patients at Pathanamthitta General Hospital.

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